Car-signal



"(N0 Model.)

s. THOMPSON & W. B. FARRELL.

GAR SIGNAL.

Patented Jun 5, 1883.

N. PUERS Phow-Lilm n her. wnuhinmn, 07c.

UNITED STATES ATE-NT FFICE.

SALMON THOMPSON AND XVILLTAM E. FARRELL, OF MASONVILLE, IOWA.

CAR-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,831, dated June 5, 1883,

Application filed July 27, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, SALMON THOMPSON and W. E. FARRELL, of Masonville, in the county of Delaware and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Alarms for Railroad-Crossings; and we hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact de scription thereof,'reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

The nature of this invention relates to cor tain new and useful improvements in the con: struction and operation of devices to insure alarms at railroad-crossings.

Wherever roads cross railways it is impel-a tive that the engineer of a train should sound his alarm by whistle or bell before reaching the crossing, and the object of the invention is to insure a certainty in such alarm. It sometimes happens that certain emergencies require the attention of both engineer and firemen at the time when it is necessary to give this alarm, and the adoption of our device will prevent accident arising from such emergencies.

Figure 1 is a perspective of a locomotive and section of track, designed to show the operation of ourdevice. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail, showing the construction of a portion of the device. Fig. 3 is a modification of theconstruction shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end modification, adapted to operate whether the locomotive is going forward or backward:

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a locomotive, and B a section of crossing, and by the sidev of the track is set the post 0, the top of which is provided with the overhanging arm D, to engage with the crank end a of the vertical rod E, which is secured to the cab or other suitable portion of the engine in bearings b, or any other suitable bearings that will hold this rod in a vertical position and at the same time allow it to rotate freely in bearings. An arm, 0, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or adouble arm, 1*, is secured, preferably adjustable, to this rod E, and a wire or rope, c, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or a double-strand rope, f, as shown in Fig. 4, connects the other ends of these arms with the lever which controls the whistle-valve of the engine, as in the rapid motion of the train the concussion produced by the arm D striking the arm a is very great and might destroy the utility of the device; so in the spring 71 made a portion of this wire or cord, the elasticity of the spring destroys the effect of such sudden concussion, which, turning the rod E to the rear, actuates the whistle, thereby sounding the alarm. After the engine has passed, and the contact between the two arms is broken, means should be provided for returning the rod to its original position, so that its projecting arm (t should be ready for the next crossing. It a short, quick whistle is all that is required, the rod may be provided with the rigid baili, to which the coilspring is is secured, while the opposite end of said spring is secured to the engine. After the concussion between the arms D and a has taken place and the contact is broken, the office of this spring would be to rotate the rod back to its original position; and, to insure the stopping of this .rotation at the right point, the spring-stop] is employed. \Nhere alengthcned alarm is required, a mutilated ratchet, m, is secured to the rod, and a similar springstop, I, already described, but provided with acatch on its extremity, so that it will act as a pawl also, is employed, so'that, as the rod is turned in the concussion, the pawl on the end of the stop I will engage with one of the teeth, and hold, through the intervening means, the

whistle open until the engineer disengages the pawl and pulls the rod back to its position,

which is insured by the stop part of the spring Z engaging with the projection n on the ratchet;

\Vhen it is desired that the device should be so constructed that the alarm will be given with the locomotive running in either direc tion, the rod should be provided with a dou-' ble arm, (7, at each end of which is a twostrand rope, j, attached to the spring h at one end, while the other end of the spring is attached to the single rope e, which controls the action of the whistle, as hereinafter described with relation tothe other figures.

lVe am aware that it has been proposed to give asingle blow to a gong by means of ahorizontal shaft carrying a vertical arm which is struck by a movable arm attached to a post on the side of the road, but we make no claim to.

this construction, as it will not give a prolonged whistle, as our invention will.

Vhat we claim as our invention is 1. In combination with a post, 0, carrying the overhanging arm D, the rod E, provided with the crank-arm a, arms 0, rope c, and spring 71, such rope engaging With the alarm of a locomotive, substantially as specified. V

2. In combination, the rotating rod E, se

cured to a locomotive, and adapted to be turned by a fixed projection on the side of the road, and provided with a bail, '1', fast thereon, the returning-spring 7c, the springstop Z, acting on the bail, arm 0, fast on the rod E, and rope a, connected to the whistle-lever, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In combination with the vertical. post C,

the arm 0 and the locomotivewhistle, the mutilatcd ratchet m, fast on said rod E, and thc spring-pawl stop Z, acting on the ratchet, all

constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

SALMOX THOMPSON. \VILLIAM EDXVARD FARRELL.

XYitnesses S. L. Doeonrr, (r-ms. L. BLAIR. 

